Race to rescue 153 trapped Chinese miners
By IANSTuesday, March 30, 2010
BEIJING - As many as 1,600 rescue workers have been pressed into service since the past two days to save the 153 miners trapped in a flooded mine in China’s Shanxi province.
The rescuers were busy Monday night pumping out water from more than 600 metres underground at the Wangjialing coal mine in Xiangning county, in what is being termed as one of the deadliest coal mine accidents in the country since two mines flooded in Shandong province in August 2007, killing 181 people.
More than 10 pumps were pumping up to 500 cubic metres of water per hour. Rescuers were trying to get huge pipes as long as 2,000 metres into the flood water, China Daily said Tuesday.
The flood occurred around 1.40 p.m. Sunday after workers dug a hole into an abandoned pit filled with underground water. 261 workers were in the pit when the water gushed in. Of them, 108 were able to get out while 153 others were trapped in the shaft.
Sun Shouren, in charge of the mine’s construction work said that about 140,000 cubic metres of water — enough to fill 56 Olympic-sized swimming pools — was estimated to have flowed into the mine.
Sun said even if they are able to pump out 2,000 cubic metres per hour, they would still need three days to drain out the remaining water.
A rescuer named Wang said he had “no clue whatsoever” about how further down the men were trapped.
Fan Leisheng, one of the workers who escaped, described the sudden rush of water that tore through the mine. “It looked like a tidal wave and I was so scared,” he said.
“I immediately ran away and looked back to see some others hanging behind. I shouted at them to get out. It was unbelievable because I got out from 1,000 metres underground,” Fan was quoted as saying.
Li Minfu, another survivor, had called other workers and told them to escape. “I was still terrified after escaping from the mine, but felt a little relieved when I knew many co-workers also escaped because of my calls,” Li said.
Meanwhile, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have ordered authorities to spare no effort to save the trapped miners and guard against secondary accidents.
